I trust each of you have had a relaxing and enjoyable summer with your family and friends. I hope your vacations, special trips, and family gatherings have been fun, safe and educational. As September is upon us, I hope all of you are looking forward to another exciting and rewarding school year. As you return to school, notice the newly re-sealed parking lot at the Jennings Track and Field Complex and new asphalt at the transportation department. Likewise, at the K-8 we have added some outdoor athletic goals, the terrazzo floors have been re-sealed, the gym floors cleaned and varnished, and new signage in the cafeteria. At the high school the front athletic field has been resurfaced, new security cameras added, additional fobbed doors, and sidewalk repairs. Also, the high school gymnasium floor was cleaned and revarnished. At Memorial Hall we have installed additional cameras and landscaping. We thank the community for your ongoing support of our facilities.
This fall our district will participate in two approved waiver days. These are non-instructional days for students that allow for additional professional development for our staff. These two waiver days will take place on Monday, September 30, 2019, and Monday, October 28, 2019. Parents can coordinate now for these two days the students will not be in session. The staff will be participating in professional development related to school climate and culture and establishing positive educational relationships and differentiated instruction. All these sessions will promote a current curriculum and safer environment for our students.
Greenville Schools has a tradition of excellence and we certainly are working to continue the excellence. The entire district wants to lead the way by making sure our students are ready for higher education and jobs of tomorrow in a global economy. To promote this tradition we will continue with all our students and teachers having access to one to one iPads for instructional use. This continues to be a major area of our instructional emphasis.
Our elementary through tenth grades will continue to participate in Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) testing to continue throughout the year to keep a close measure on our alignment to end of year required state assessments. At the high school, we will continue for the fifth year with the College Credit Plus program, including again Edison State, Sinclair, and Wright State, as well as, Urbana. We also look forward to continuing with all our Career Tech programming at the high school which continues to be well received by our students. Many of these programs continue to compete in state and national competitions. The junior class will continue to take the required ACT test for all junior students this spring.
The district would like to highlight the Greenville High School FCCLA program for earning the following awards during National Competition in Anaheim, California during June/July. These include: Gold Medal-1st Place - Sophie Gettinger and Eliza Wysong, Digital Stories for Change; Silver Medal - Layne Claudy, Advocacy; Gold Medal - 5th Place - Brooke Stachler, Mackenzie McMiller, and Alexa Snyder, FCCLA Chapter Website; Bronze Medal - Summer Cook, Early Childhood Education; Silver Medal - Rain Richardson, Focus on Children; Bronze Medal - 4th Place - Alyssa York, Anna Combs, and Jenna Netzley, Digital Stories for Change; Gold Medal - Brittni Walker, Brittany Grice, Chapter Service Project Portfolio. You are all a source of pride for Greenville City Schools. Congratulations to Amy Schoen and Rita Potter for their instructional leadership to this program.
Our district continues to be on a rotational basis to purchase textbooks and supplemental materials beyond the required College Credit Plus textbook purchases. This year our district purchased many new science textbooks and materials. Next year we will be purchasing foreign language, business education, and health materials. This fall we will continue to contract with the City of Greenville to provide us with two school resource officers. One will continue to be housed at the high school while the other will be at the K-8 facility. These SRO’s will assist us with safety and security, but also provide educational programming. They have done an outstanding job for the district and it our pleasure to work with the city to staff these positions. Safety wise we continue to have more of our staff educated to train in the ALICE safety procedures.
As we begin a new year, remember to travel slowly on Ohio and Main Street and observe the speed limit when students are present and particularly during drop off and dismissal times at the K-8 complex, as well as, the high school. Always slowdown in the parking lots and follow marked traffic flow to keep everyone safe. At the K-8 complex in front of the building the first row of parking on both sides will be reserved for visitors. Staff members assigned to these buildings will not park in these areas. Likewise, staff parking at Memorial Hall will continue to be assigned to the new side lot leaving the front circle open to visitors.
Please join me in welcoming the new employees to the Greenville School District. We look forward to working with each of them in our educational delivery and are glad they have joined the Greenville School District team. The following is the list of new employees at the time of this release:
- Memorial Hall: Katherine Widener (Custodian)
- High School: Kyle Fox (Custodian); Winford Knowles (NJRTOC Instructor); Clayton Westerbeck (Asst. Principal)
- Middle School: Raegan Clark (Social Studies Teacher); Victoria Fitzwater (Custodian)
- Elementary School: Twila Blowers (Crossing Guard); Brooke Copeland (3rd Grade Teacher); Shelly King (Para Professional); Betsy Kraft (3rd Grade Teacher); Mary Kate Lefeld (2nd Grade Teacher); Laura Shafer (Kindergarten Teacher); Janet Smith (Intervention Specialist); Sarah Stipe (Intervention Specialist); Kelsey Wise (Kindergarten Teacher)
- Transportation: Annie Oiler (Bus Driver)
This year the board of education and district have made a conscious effort to improve and provide more mental health services and support. The district has added two additional contracts with Recovery and Wellness to provide mental health services. One is mental health counseling available for all needed students with parental permission after a screening if necessary. One day a week coordinated at the high school and the other day at the K-8 complex. The second contract is for the student support groups at the high school for two hours a week. Allocations for additional mental health services were included in this year’s state budget. The district also continues to employ a social worker for the fourth year, as well.
I invite everyone in the community to attend and support our students in the various extracurricular activities that take place throughout the school year. Your attendance is appreciated by the students and the school system.
Remember, the entire Greenville School faculty and staff is here to assist you – our students, parents and community. If we can be of assistance, please feel free to contact our principals or myself. I can be reached by phone at 937-548-3185, or by email at dfries@gcswave.com. Let’s all work together to make 2019-2020 an outstanding school year. Our district wants to focus on being kind and providing hope.
We look forward to seeing all of you again this fall. Go Wave!
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